AMD Ryzen 3000 Zen 2 CPUs Expected For Computex Keynote Debut With Key Performance Lift
The age old question when it comes to the do-it-yourself (DIY) PC market is should you build now or wait? In most cases, waiting is a slippery slope into an endless period of PC purgatory, where you find yourself constantly holding out for the next best thing. However, there are certain times when waiting does make sense. Now is one of those times, because everything we are hearing suggests that AMD is going to bring the boom with its Ryzen 3000 series processors, and very soon.
Ryzen 3000 is based on AMD's Zen 2 architecture, which we have known about for quite some time—it's been on AMD's roadmap since the beginning. What's notable about Zen 2 is it marks a transition to a 7-nanometer manufacturing process, bringing with it improved power efficiency, a bump in IPC (instructions per clock) performance, faster clockspeeds, and general architectural improvements.
First let's talk about the launch, though. Computex put out a press release saying AMD President and CEO Dr. Lisa Su is scheduled to deliver a keynote on Monday, May 27.
"During the CEO Keynote, Dr. Lisa Su and other high-profile guests will highlight new details of upcoming products and showcase how the industry is building a new high-performance computing ecosystem that will push technology to the next level," the press release states.
The press release also calls out some specific products, including third-generation Ryzen processors (Ryzen 3000) and 7nm EPYC datacenter CPUs. In other words, it's strongly suggested that AMD is prepping a launch of its new 7nm processors.
Ryzen 3000 And Zen 2 - What To Expect
This aligns with what we have heard from a major AMD ecosystem OEM. In addition to a Computex launch, the OEM tells us that the Zen 2 architecture will finally bring single-thread performance parity with Intel, combined with Ryzen's already strong multi-core performance that could now look even better for AMD. That is a big deal. Up to this point, AMD has offered a compelling lineup, but clock for clock, Intel has managed to stay a step ahead. We are told that will not be the case with the Ryzen 3000 series.
It gets even better (maybe). AMD is expected to remain aggressive with its pricing. Before we get too excited, though, that bit is less clear. Performance is so strong with Zen 2 that AMD could possibly merit higher pricing for its Ryzen 3000 series lineup. We saw this play out to an extent with AMD's Radeon VII graphics card. While it did not take the performance crown, it brought parity to NVIDIA's GeForce RTX 2080 (minus real-time ray tracing and DLSS), with a price to match ($699). We could potentially see the same thing play out with Zen 2.
It's Not A Party Without Chips(et)!
Finally, there is AMD's upcoming X570 chipset to discuss. This will launch alongside AMD's next-gen Ryzen processors and will contribute to the performance uplift, while delivering a leading edge feature-set consisting of PCI Express 4.0 and other technologies.
As we have noted before, upgrading to an X570 motherboard is not a requisite for Ryzen 3000. AMD will utilize the same socket, and with a BIOS update, users with current and previous generation AM4 motherboards can play in the Zen 2 playground. However, X570 will obviously offer the best performance and all-around experience. If building from the ground up, you might as well snag an X570 board.
Finding a motherboard won't be problem, either. AMD's hardware partners have a bunch of products lined up. ASUS, for example, has at least a dozen X570 motherboards ready to go, and we have seen leaks from ASRock and others as well.
"As one of the most important global events for our industry, I look forward to Computex each year. I am honored to deliver the opening keynote this year and provide new details about the next generation of high-performance AMD platforms and products," Dr. Su said.
We are looking forward to it as well.
